


Shawn vs. the Secret Admirer

by DinerGuy



Category: Psych
Genre: F/M, Humor, Mystery, Post-Series, Pre-Movie, Psychphrancisco, Romance, Shules, Suspense, also featuring Sam Sloane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 12:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/pseuds/DinerGuy
Summary: A recent rash of break-ins has the SFPD stumped and even Shawn's having trouble finding clues. On top of that, anonymous gifts have started showing up on Juliet's desk and Gus is convinced Shawn is going to lose his girlfriend to the sender. Can Shawn prove to Gus - and Jules - there is nothing to worry about? And can he catch the burglars before someone gets hurt?





	Shawn vs. the Secret Admirer

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to be much more angsty and mystery-focused when I started... Shawn and Gus had other ideas.
> 
> Standard disclaimers apply.

"And that was when I realized _you_ were the one who stole my cookies!" Shawn finished with a flourish.  
  
Gus rolled his eyes. "Right. Because those weird pineapple-filled atrocities you attempted to bake are just what I always wanted."  
  
"Exactly." Shawn nodded and grinned. "And besides, I didn't say you _ate_ them once you'd taken them. In fact, I'm sensing they met an untimely end in the garbage can once you'd cookie-napped them." He made a heartbroken face and clutched his chest. "How tragic."  
  
Ignoring his friend, Gus turned back to the pile of mail he was sorting through. After tossing several envelopes on his desk, he paused. "Shawn." He turned to show Shawn the flyer in his hand.  
  
Shawn glanced up at the sound of his name, then raised an eyebrow as he processed the information on the postcard. "What?"  
  
"Shawn!" Gus was not pleased. "Pretty much everyone knows you and Juliet are planning to get married, but somehow you haven't made it official!"  
  
"And what do you want me to do?" Shawn protested.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. Finally propose to your girlfriend, maybe?"  
  
Shawn sighed and made a face. "I haven't found the ring yet, buddy. You know that. I was _going_ to propose to her that day on the street but then that punk stole it, and we never caught him. We had to stop because you got too winded."  
  
"We _both_ got winded." Gus looked insulted. "And I had a stitch in my side."  
  
"Yeah, see?" Shawn shrugged.  
  
Gus made a noise of frustration. "I can't believe I'm about to say this, but..." He trailed off and sighed. "If you want, I could loan you the money to buy Juliet a ring. You can pay me back later."  
  
"It's not about the money, Gus," Shawn replied. When his friend gave him a look, he spread his hands. "What? Okay, so I don't have the money to buy a ring, true. But I don't want to just propose with just any old ring, Gus. Besides, I'm close to finding it anyway, so don't worry."  
  
Gus just shook his head. "Fine, Shawn. But Juliet won't wait for you forever. You gotta make it official sooner rather than later."  
  
"Please, Gus," Shawn chuckled. "Jules would never leave me. Not even for a dashing admirer who comes in and sweeps her off her feet."  
  
"Never say never, Shawn. This isn't a joke."  
  
"You know what is a joke? That guy who just opened up that detective agency down the street. Now _he's_ a joke."  
  
Gus just glowered at him.  
  
"Ooh!" Shawn jumped up. "You know what'll make you feel better and get your mind off that junk mail? Let's go ask Jules for a case!"  
  
"Shawn, the chief said she'd call us when she had a new case for us," Gus corrected.  
  
"What?" Shawn frowned. "When? I don't remember that."  
  
"When she kicked you out of the station for harassing the front desk clerk," Gus provided.  
  
"I seem to remember she kicked us both out."  
  
Gus sighed. "Only because I had the dumb luck of being there with you."  
  
Grinning, Shawn headed for the door. "Come on, buddy. It's already been two days. Everyone probably forgot already."  
  
As soon as he sat down across from Jules, he realized just how wrong he'd been.  
  
"Shawn, what are you doing here?" she asked, regarding the duo with a raised eyebrow. "Weren't you told not to come back unless we called you for a case?"  
  
Gus kicked Shawn in the ankle.  
  
Shooting his friend a glare, Shawn tried to kick him back, but Gus moved his foot just in time. "But Jules," Shawn said plaintively, turning his attention back to his unimpressed girlfriend, "I had the distinct sense you needed me for a case! So here I am!"  
  
She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, Shawn; I don't know what to tell you. We don't have any cases for you right now. Everything's been pretty quiet lately."  
  
Making a face, Shawn crossed his arms and slouched back in his seat. But before he could pout any further, Gus caught sight of a vase sitting off to the side of Juliet's desk.  
  
"Those are beautiful flowers, Juliet," Gus remarked. "Who are they from?" He glanced over at Shawn and waggled an eyebrow at his friend as he asked Juliet the question.  
  
Shawn stuck his tongue out in response.  
  
She shrugged. "I'm actually not sure. There was no name on the card."  
  
Gus's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Really?"  
  
Taking in the look on his girlfriend's face, Shawn nodded slowly. "That's… weird," he observed.  
  
"What- Shawn!" Gus kicked him again. "You mean they're not from you?" He sounded insulted.  
  
Ignoring Gus, Shawn just smirked. "Jules, do you have something to tell me?" he asked innocently.  
  
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "It's probably nothing," she said. "And either way, they are gorgeous, aren't they?"  
  
Gus was shaking his head, but then paused at Juliet's question and nodded slowly. "Sure," he replied, although he shot Shawn another sideways look as he did.  
  
_'What?'_ Shawn mouthed at the expression, earning him another kick to the ankle from Gus, which he quickly returned.  
  
Glancing back at her computer screen, Juliet cleared her throat, interrupting whatever it was Gus was about to say. "Okay, well," she said, "as much as I'd love to chat, I do have some reports I really need to get done. I guess I'll see you both later."  
  
The two friends shared a look, but, when Juliet clicked open a document and started busily typing away at her keyboard, they slowly got to their feet.  
  
"Bye, Jules; love you, too!" Shawn called as he followed Gus back toward the front door.  
  
As soon as they stepped outside into the sunshine, Gus crossed his arms and turned on his friend. "I can't believe you, Shawn! What is wrong with you?"  
  
"What?" Shawn blinked.  
  
"What do you mean, _'what?'_ Someone sent Juliet flowers!"  
  
"Well, yeah. They didn't get there on their own," Shawn replied with a shrug. When he saw his friend's frown deepen, he continued, "Buddy, come on. I'm sure there are dozens of grateful citizens Jules has saved." Shawn shrugged as he rounded the side of their car. "Maybe one of them just wanted to say thanks."  
  
"Without signing the card?" Gus asked dubiously.  
  
"Fair enough. You know, there was that one kid on that field trip last week who seemed to really like her. Maybe he's her secret admirer."  
  
"Shawn," Gus corrected, "no fifth grader can afford a nice vase of flowers like the one on Juliet's desk."  
  
"Hm." Shawn shrugged. "Well, I'm sure it's nothing."  
  
Having turned the key in the ignition, Gus reached for his seatbelt before putting the car into reverse. "Shawn, do you not realize this means there's someone else who likes Juliet? This is exactly what I was talking about earlier! You should probably get on the ball and propose before she runs off with whoever this admirer is," he persisted. "Didn't you see how she seemed to like the flowers?"  
  
"Gus, don't be a colorblind honeybee; it's fine."  
  
Gus groaned in frustration. "Fine, Shawn. Be like that. But don't come crying to me when she dumps you later."  
  
"Jules would never leave me, Gus," Shawn insisted again. Then, something outside of the car caught his attention and he grinned widely. "Oh, look! Tacos!"

* * *

The next morning, Shawn strolled up to Juliet's desk, a much less-eager Gus trailing behind him. "Looks like I was just a day early on my visions of you needing my help," Shawn announced with a grin. "But don't worry; I hold no hard feelings."  
  
"Yeah," Gus replied, "but only because you got tacos when we left."  
  
Shawn held up a finger, then shrugged. "This is true," he admitted. "You know I can't resist the guacamole at that one food truck. It's like pure magic."  
  
"You know that's right," Gus agreed.  
  
Turning back to Juliet, Shawn cleared his throat. "Speaking of, you said…" He trailed off as he noticed a box sitting on Juliet's desk. "Ooh, Jules, you shouldn't have! Gus, Jules bought us chocolates!"  
  
Gus's eyes lit up, and he leaned in. "Really? Is there a caramel one?"  
  
"Shawn!" Juliet's tone stopped her boyfriend's hand inches from opening the gold-colored box.  
  
He paused and slowly straightened up. "Yes, Jules?" he asked innocently.  
  
Chuckling, she shook her head. "They're not for you," she told him. "They were on my desk when I got in this morning."  
  
At that, Gus's eyes widened and he poked Shawn's side. "Shawn."  
  
"Hmm, interesting," Shawn observed. "Was there a note?"  
  
Juliet shook her head. "No." She raised an eyebrow. "Any ideas, Shawn?"  
  
"Uhh..." Shawn trailed off and put a finger to his temple in thought. "No... Nope, not getting anything. Sorry, Jules. Maybe it's from that guy down in records? He seemed suspiciously nice the other day."  
  
Gus gulped. "Shawn, I _told_ you."  
  
"Relax, Gus!" Shawn assured the other man. He dropped into one of the chairs by Juliet's desk and crossed his fingers behind his head. "It's all good. Jules knows I love her. Right, Jules?"  
  
She chuckled. "Of course."  
  
Shawn nodded happily. "See, what'd I tell you, Gus?"  
  
For his part, Gus did not look convinced.  
  
"So, you said you had a case for us?" Shawn asked, sitting up to lean in as he switched topics. "Let me guess... You want us to solve who ate all the donuts in the breakroom the other day? Because I'm sensing the person who did it was just really hungry and had no alternative." He nodded seriously.  
  
Juliet raised an eyebrow but just shook her head. "No, actually, this is a little bit more serious. There's been a series of break-ins at small businesses in the area; the burglars seem to be getting in and out without leaving a trace. Unfortunately, that means we don't have much to go on right now. We were hoping you could maybe check out the places that have been hit and pick up some sort of clues that can tell us who's behind it all."  
  
Accepting the file Juliet held out to him, Shawn paged through it and nodded. "We got this, Jules! Don't worry about a thing."  
  
When they left the station, Shawn was very confident in his declaration. Two hours, forty minutes, and three shops later, though, he was starting to doubt himself - just a little.  
  
Gus, however, had started doubting him precisely one hour and fifty minutes earlier.  
  
"I told you, Shawn," he was saying as they stepped onto the sidewalk outside the bakery. "I told you this was no use. You saw the files; the police couldn't find any clues at the crime scenes, and they questioned all the employees at each business - whether they were on shift the day it happened or not. This is a waste of a perfectly good afternoon."  
  
"Gus, don't be an insomniac sloth. If we don't visit all the victims, how would we know if any of the staff at any of the shops were in on the crimes?" He took another bite of the paper-wrapped pastry in his hand. "And besides, if we hadn't come here, we never would have gotten to taste these churros."  
  
"Mm, you know that's right," Gus agreed, taking another bite of his own treat.  
  
Shawn nodded happily and looked back at the file he had folded open in his hands. "Okay, looks like the next shop is... right down the street about two blocks or so."  
  
Following along a bit more reluctantly, Gus trailed Shawn into Rose's Flower Shop. It was a small storefront, right between Paula's Pets and Barry's Barbershop. His expression visibly brightened, however, when the attractive brunette behind the counter smiled at the duo as the bell over the door announced their arrival. Gus looked around, taking in the small but brightly lit shop interior.  
  
Shawn sauntered over to the counter and smiled at the woman, whose name tag read _Jenny._ "I'm Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, J. R. Squash."  
  
Frowning, Jenny regarded the friends curiously as Gus leaned in toward Shawn.  
  
"Really, Shawn?" Gus whispered harshly.  
  
"I dunno, man," Shawn returned with a shrug. "It was the first thing that came to mind. I've been doing this too long. Anyway!" he continued at normal volume, turning back to Jenny. "We're looking into the burglary that happened next door last Friday. Not at the barbershop; the one at the pet store."  
  
The woman nodded slowly. "Oh, okay, sure. I mean... we already talked to an officer and to a detective. Are you with the department as well?"  
  
"Yes!" Gus replied. "We were just following up to see if you had any more information that you might have remembered after you spoke with our colleagues."  
  
"Right, well..." The woman trailed off as she noticed Shawn peering behind the counter. "Uh, can I help you find something, Mr. Spencer?"  
  
Shawn turned back and grinned at her. "No need. I'm just trying to get a full read of the scene, trying to pick up any clues that are still here."  
  
"Clues?" Jenny asked curiously. "I thought the police already did all the evidence collection they could when they first came when we got robbed."  
  
"True, but I'm a psychic," Shawn reminded her. "There are... clues still hanging around that you can't see, but I can." He waved his hands in the air. "I'm sensing there were at least two guys..."  
  
Continuing to adjust the flower arrangement on which she had been working when Shawn and Gus walked in, Jenny nodded. "Yes, that's what Paula said was on her security tapes. She sent all of that to the police, though..."  
  
"Shawn," Gus spoke up, eyeing the flowers in Jenny's hands, "you know what you could totally do while we're here?"  
  
Having caught the look his friend was giving him, Shawn cleared his throat. "Gus, I don't know what you're talking about. We're here to investigate a case, not shop for ourselves."  
  
"But you'd be shopping for Juliet, and you're already here," Gus pointed out. "Come on; we could pick something out pretty quickly."  
  
Jenny smiled as Gus turned to her. "Yes," she said, nodding in agreement. "We have some beautiful arrangements for all sorts of budgets. I'm assuming this Juliet is your girlfriend?"  
  
Gus gave Shawn a smug look.  
  
"Yes," Shawn replied, shooting a glare at Gus. "My buddy here seems to think I'm going to lose her if I don't send her flowers and all that jazz."  
  
Making sure Jenny wasn't watching him, Gus stuck his tongue out at Shawn.  
  
Shawn made a face back, but either Jenny didn't notice or she was too polite to say anything about it. "Your friend is really great to be looking out for you like that," she told Shawn cheerily. "So many relationships fall apart because people don't think of doing the small things like just saying they're thinking about each other."  
  
Shawn eyed Gus. "Yup. Good old Gus, always looking out for me."  
  
Elbowing Shawn, Gus smiled back at Jenny. "Oh, yes. I know how important it is to appreciate the most important person in your life." He winked.  
  
"I couldn't agree more," Jenny replied. She reached down and picked up a small clay pot from behind the desk and showed the small flowers growing in the soil to the two men. "My boyfriend gave this to me the other day. Isn't it cute?"  
  
Shawn glanced at the pot, spotting a framed photo of Jenny and a tall, red-haired man posing together and smiling widely.  
  
Following the same line of sight, Gus sunk back on his heels, visibly deflating.  
  
"You could do something like this for Juliet if you'd like; we even deliver!" Jenny continued. "Now, let's pick something out so you two can be on your way!"

* * *

Although he was trying to arrive first, Shawn was still genuinely surprised he'd beaten Gus to Psychphrancisco the next morning. Either way, it was fine with him. Gave him plenty of time to work on his side project without any interruptions. And that's what he did for approximately twenty minutes, until-  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Shawn jumped at the sudden voice from behind him. Recovering, he turned in his chair to see Gus watching him. "Oh, uh... nothing," he tried.  
  
"Not 'nothing,' Shawn," Gus said. He took in the contents of Shawn's screen and then grinned. _"Aha!"_ he exclaimed. "I caught you. You _did_ notice!"  
  
"What?" Shawn tried to cover. "I was just, uh, doing research. You know, since one of the shops in that area that hasn't gotten hit yet is a florist."  
  
Gus shook his head. "Right. And that's why you're shopping for..." he leaned in, squinting at the computer display, "...'I love you' flower arrangements."  
  
"It's just research," Shawn said with a nod. He closed his laptop and gave Gus an innocent grin. "Besides, Gus, you know Jules." Shawn waved a hand at his friend. "She never was one to go for all that cliche, over-commercialized Valentine's stuff."  
  
"Valentine's Day was almost a month ago," Gus corrected.  
  
Shawn spread his hands. "See?"  
  
"That is not the point," Gus said with a sigh. "Besides, _you_ might think she never went for that stuff, but didn't you see her face when we were talking about the stuff from whoever her secret admirer is? She enjoyed the attention, Shawn. I'd have thought _you_ of all people would have realized that."  
  
"That might be true," Shawn admitted. "But how do you know I don't already have stuff planned?"  
  
"What I want to know," Gus shot back, "is why you don't seem more concerned that _somebody_ out there is trying to steal Juliet away from you."  
  
Frowning, Shawn tilted his head. Before he could say anything further, the sound of his phone ringing interrupted the conversation. He grinned and showed Gus the screen. "Look, see, Jules is calling me already. Would she be calling me if some secret admirer had really won over her heart?"  
  
"How else do you expect her to break up with you?" Gus asked.  
  
Shawn rolled his eyes at Gus and put the phone on speaker. "Jules, please tell Gus you'd never leave me and he's being a stupid-head."  
  
"Oh, real mature, Shawn," Gus grumbled.  
  
On the other end of the call, Juliet laughed. _"Shawn, what are you talking about?"_  
  
"Never mind," Shawn dismissed the concern. "What's up, Jules?"  
  
_"Can you and Gus come down to the station?"_ she asked. What sounded like a car door slamming came over the line before she continued. _"We have some more information about the case, and Vick wants to hear your findings as well."_  
  
Shawn and Gus exchanged a look. Gus shook his head firmly, to which Shawn replied with nodding.  
  
Then Gus made a face and made a we-got-nothing gesture with both hands.  
  
Ignoring him, Shawn turned back to the phone. "Of course, Jules! See ya soon!"  
  
_"Bye, Shawn."_  
  
Glaring at Shawn, Gus jumped on his friend as soon as the call disconnected. "I can't believe you, Shawn!" Gus exclaimed. "You and I both know we have absolutely nothing on this case! What are you planning to tell everyone when we get to the station?"  
  
"I'll figure it out," Shawn said with a shrug. "Relax, Gus!" he added when Gus continued to glare at him. "Seriously, how many times have we gone into one of these briefing meetings with nothing and then all the pieces fit together in my head and I do a big reveal and crack the case?"  
  
Gus rolled his eyes. "Too many for my comfort," he returned.  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
There was a brief pause, then Gus sighed in resignation. "Fine. But you'd better have something; I will not show up to a meeting just for you to make a fool out of both of us."  
  
Shawn jumped up with a pleased grin and headed for the door. "Oh, come on," he replied over his shoulder. "Where's the fun in that?"

* * *

"Where's Jules?" Shawn asked aloud, looking around he approached the detective's desk. Then he made a face. "Aw, man, I forgot that flowerpot I bought yesterday!"  
  
Gus shrugged. "Guess you have to bring it to her later. And I don't know... Maybe she got stuck in traffic?" he asked from where he was close behind Shawn.  
  
"Maybe," Shawn agreed. He started to sit down in Juliet's desk chair but froze at a gasp from Gus. "What?" he asked quickly, looking around in concern.  
  
Eyes wide, Gus was pointing to a fresh vase of flowers on Juliet's desk. "Look!" he exclaimed. "I _told_ you, you should have gotten ahead of this already, Shawn." He was leaning across the desk to search for a card, and when he'd located it, he rocked back on his heels to level a stern glare at Shawn. "Look, there's no name on these either."  
  
"Gus, seriously?" Shawn rolled his eyes and dropped the rest of the way into the chair.  
  
"I don't know why you aren't taking this _more_ seriously!" Gus gulped. "Shawn, she obviously has attracted _someone's_ attention! And what are you going to do if he turns out to be some dashingly handsome hero who comes in and sweeps her away from you?"  
  
Shawn frowned. "Gus, this is Jules we're talking about! I told you, we're solid. She loves me; she'd never leave me!"  
  
"You say that," Gus harrumphed. "But just you wait until she dumps you, and then _I_ have to deal with your emotions parked on my couch for a week." He crossed his arms. "Remind me to change all my locks before that happens." Then a thought seemed to occur to him, and his eyes grew wide.  
  
"...What?" Shawn asked slowly, studying Gus's expression. "Buddy, I'm not sure I like that look on your face."  
  
"What if it's a stalker, Shawn?" Gus gulped.  
  
Shawn blinked. "What?"  
  
"I bet that's it!" Gus looked worried. "Juliet has a stalker, maybe a criminal she put away, and he's being all creepy and nice and then he's gonna pounce once he has her off-guard!"  
  
"Dude," Shawn said, shaking his head, "chill."  
  
"'Chill'? _'Chill'?_ How do you expect me to _'chill'?"_ Gus demanded. Realizing how high his tone had risen, he glanced around the station self-consciously, but the friends' conversation hadn't seemed to have attracted anyone's attention. "Shawn, don't you see?" he hissed. "I bet you that's exactly what happened! It makes so much sense."  
  
Shawn shook his head. "Gus, calm down. I promise it was not a stalker."  
  
"Oh, why? Because you can _sense_ it's not?" Gus crossed his arms and glared.  
  
With a sigh, Shawn shook his head. "No, because-"  
  
"Hey, Shawn, Gus." A new voice interrupted whatever Shawn was about to say.  
  
Shawn and Gus looked up to see Detective Sam Sloane, Juliet's partner, striding up to join them.  
  
"Hey, Sammy," Shawn greeted. "Where's Jules?"  
  
The other man's brow furrowed slightly. "I was just about to ask you that. She hasn't come in yet this morning, and she's not answering her phone. I figured maybe she was sick or something, and you were coming in to let us know."  
  
Exchanging another glance with Gus, Shawn looked back to Sam and shook his head. "No... Jules called us to meet her here this morning. Something about a briefing on the burglary case?"  
  
Sam nodded slowly. "That's why I'm looking for her, actually. She didn't sound... different on the phone when she called you, did she? Like anything was wrong?"  
  
"Nah," Shawn replied with a slow shake of his head. "I'm sure she's fine, though-"  
  
A strangled noise from Gus interrupted him.  
  
When Shawn and Sam looked over, Gus was lowering his phone from his ear, his eyes wide. "She's not answering... Oh my gosh!" If it were possible, his eyes widened even more than before. "It's the stalker!"  
  
"What?" Shawn and Sam asked the question at the same time, only Sam sounded worried while Shawn just sounded confused.  
  
"Juliet has a stalker, and _Shawn_ didn't think it was a big deal, and now she isn't answering her phone which means she must be in trouble!" Gus was close to hyperventilating.  
  
"What do you mean, O'Hara has a stalker?" Sam's face was as serious as Shawn could ever remember seeing it. "If you two know something about her being in danger, you'd better spill it _right now!"_  
  
Gus gulped and nodded. "Somebody has been sending Juliet anonymous gifts the past few days," he informed the detective. Both of the other men could tell he was trying to keep his panic down, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. "Flowers and chocolates and now more flowers, and she kept saying it was no big deal, and Shawn didn't seem to think it mattered either, but I knew it was nothing but trouble. And now, sure enough, I was right and now she's missing!" he finished with a wail.  
  
Blinking as he processed the deluge of words coming from Gus, Sam paused, then turned to Shawn. "Spencer? Did you ever... sense anything was wrong with any of the gifts she was getting?" He looked like he wasn't sure if he should believe Gus's panicked information dump or not.  
  
"Dude…" Shawn rubbed a hand across his face. "Gus, I knew there was nothing to worry about because there isn't! _I'm_ the one who sent all those gifts to Jules."  
  
"Do _not_ play with me right now, Shawn! You know how fragile my mental state is! Do you not realize this secret admirer isn't- Wait," Gus interrupted himself as Shawn's words sank in. "What?"  
  
Shaking his head, Shawn shrugged. "It was me all along," he admitted.  
  
"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Sam demanded.  
  
Shawn gave Gus a look. "The other day, I thought Jules might need some cheering up. She'd said she had a rough day at work, and Gus is always saying I should be more romantic, so I thought maybe she'd like some flowers." He shrugged. "Of course, it wasn't until we came into the station to see her that I realized I'd forgotten to sign the card, but she seemed to appreciate the attention, so I figured I'd send her a few more to cheer her up and then eventually tell her it was me."  
  
"Seriously, Shawn?" Gus was glaring.  
  
"Nothing to worry about, Gus. I told you!" Shawn said with a grin.  
  
Sighing, Sam ran a hand through his hair. "Okay, so O'Hara doesn't have a stalker... but that means we have no leads on where she is right now."  
  
"Oh... right." Shawn's smile dissolved as he exchanged a look with Gus. "I'm sure it's nothing," he added quickly, although his tone reflected Sam's expression - which was still much calmer than Gus.  
  
Gus swallowed. "So what's our first move?" he wanted to know, looking from Shawn to Sam to Shawn again. "Do you think this has anything to do with the case?"  
  
"Well, it _might,"_ Shawn replied, "but I might have a more definitive answer if you hadn't derailed my entire line of questioning at the florist shop yesterday."  
  
"Guys!" Sam interrupted them.  
  
Both friends paused and looked guiltily at each other.  
  
"Yes?" Gus ventured as they both turned to face Sam.  
  
Again, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This isn't a time to fight, okay? If O'Hara is missing then we need to find her. I don't really care whose fault anything else is at the moment." He didn't wait for a reply before hurrying over to his desk that sat near Juliet's. "I'm going to see if I can track her phone."  
  
As Sam began typing away at his computer, Shawn hit the button to call Juliet's number. When there was no response, he ended the call and tried again, with the same response.  
  
Shawn shook his head. "No go." His voice was tight as if he were trying not to worry and failing.  
  
"She hasn't answered any of my calls either," Sam provided from where he was studying his monitor. "And this isn't giving me any results." He shook his head. "I'm not sure if her phone is just off or if someone took the battery out... but I can't trace it."  
  
Even though Juliet had only recently started working with Sam, Shawn could already read the man well. The clenching of his fists and the lines creasing his forehead were clear indicators the detective was concerned about his partner. Shawn didn't blame him.  
  
If only Shawn could remember some clue that would help them find Jules... something that just needed to click in place from what he'd seen and heard recently...  
  
"Dude," Shawn whispered as he pulled Gus aside. "I think I know where we need to look. Remember when Jules called us this morning? She was getting out of her car - but not at the station."  
  
Gus blinked. "What?"  
  
Nodding, Shawn waved a hand. "The traffic sounded different than when she calls me from work," he explained briefly.  
  
"So... do you know where she was?" Gus prompted.  
  
"She likes to get coffee at this one cafe on the way to work," Shawn stated. "I bet you that's the place."  
  
"Okay," Sam reached for his blazer draped over the back of his chair. "Give me the address. I'll go check it out."  
  
Before Shawn could offer any further information, the sound of heels clicking on the floor caused all three men to pause and look up.  
  
"We get a break in the case?" Juliet wanted to know.  
  
Gus nearly melted into the closest chair.  
  
"Jules!" Shawn chirped happily.  
  
Juliet shifted the coffee cup in her hand as she looked between the clearly relieved faces in front of her. "Uh... guys? What's wrong?" She gave Gus a sideways look. "Gus, are you crying?"  
  
"We thought you were a goner," Gus sniffled.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Shawn patted his friend on the shoulder. "You know Gus, Jules; he gets a little excited sometimes. He means 'I' - as in, Gus. And maybe Sammy. _I_ never doubted you for a second."  
  
"Give it a rest, Spencer; we could all tell you were just as worried," Sam corrected. He raised an eyebrow at Juliet. "You okay, O'Hara? We couldn't reach you."  
  
"Oh, right, sorry," Juliet shook her head. She reached into her purse and headed for her desk, pulling out her phone on the way. "I forgot to charge my cell phone last night and thought I could make it to the office before it died all the way. Unfortunately, I got stuck in a traffic jam thanks to a fender bender on the way here." She made a face as she plugged her charger into the wall.  
  
Sam shook his head and shot Shawn and Gus a glare. "Okay, glad you're all right. I'm about to head out to interview a witness about that burglary case. Someone saw a suspicious figure snooping around a hair salon two doors down from the last place that got robbed."  
  
At that, Shawn blinked. The pieces started clicking into place, and he grinned to himself. Then he threw his hands in the air and turned to face the others. "Gus, I need my Magic Head!"  
  
The reply came from all three of the others at once. "What?"  
  
Shawn just skipped over to where Gus was still sitting in front of Juliet's desk and clapped his hand down on top of his friend.  
  
"Shawn-" Gus tried to protest.  
  
"Shhh, just let it happen," Shawn told him before throwing his other hand in the air and waving it around.  
  
Juliet just watched them with an amused expression on her face. Sam looked a little more concerned.  
  
"I'm sensing there's something funny happening in San Francisco!" Shawn announced. "And it's got nothing to do with the clown convention coming to town next week."  
  
Slapping Shawn's hand away, Gus gave him an indignant look. "It better not, Shawn. I bought tickets to that weeks ago." He sniffed and straightened his jacket.  
  
Shawn caught the look Juliet's partner was giving him and grinned casually. "You'll get used to it, Sammy," he remarked with a wink. "Gus has lots of weird interests."  
  
"I don't think that's what he's concerned about," Gus rolled his eyes.  
  
"But wait!" Shawn yelled, ignoring whatever Sam was about to say. "There's more! Not funny ha-ha! Funny weird! Funny weird because there's a suspicious character being suspicious lately!" He tilted his head and looked at Sam. "Did your tipster say the suspicious figure had red hair? I'm sensing they did."  
  
Sam nodded slowly. "Yes... as a matter of fact, yes." He looked over at Juliet questioningly.  
  
She just shook her head in response.  
  
"In fact," Shawn continued, waving his hands around to underscore his words, "I'm getting... I'm getting..." Pausing, he put a hand to his temple as if he were concentrating on some unheard voice. Then he grinned and looked back up at the two detectives. "I'm getting a very strong sense that your culprits are Jenny, the clerk at the flower shop next to the pet store that just got robbed, and her boyfriend."  
  
"Wait, what?" Sam looked from Shawn to Gus to Juliet and back again in confusion. "Wait, how do you know?"  
  
"Trust the spirits, Sammy boy," Shawn said seriously. He flashed a grin. "I promise they know what they're doing."  
  
Juliet nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks, Shawn. We'll check that out when we go look into the tip. Mind if I ride along, partner?" she asked Sam.  
  
He motioned toward the door. "Come on."  
  
"Oh! Wait, Jules!" Shawn exclaimed, causing her to pause where she was headed after Sam. "Want to have dinner with me tonight?" He smiled. "I can tell you who your secret admirer is. I have a strong sense about this one."  
  
Juliet strode over to where he was standing by her desk and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "I already know who it is," she whispered as her lips brushed his ear.  
  
"What?" Shawn asked in confusion as she pulled away. "You do?"  
  
"And yes, I'd love to have dinner." She gave him a knowing wink. "Just make sure you sign the card on the flowers tonight, hm?"


End file.
